Chennai, March 22 – Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought together former stars and current squad members at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday for the ‘Roar 2026’ event, ahead of the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts on March 28.
Former CSK player S Badrinath shared a photo on X showing himself, Ambati Rayudu, Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Joginder Sharma, Murali Vijay, and Lakshmipathy Balaji posing with the franchise's five IPL trophies and in their previous CSK days jerseys. Badrinath wrote in the post, "Oldie squad."
The event saw legends like Hussey, Hayden, Bravo, and Raina reunite with current players such as captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni (who received the loudest cheers from the fans), Shivam Dube, and new signing Sanju Samson, who will play his maiden season for CSK after being the Player of the Tournament in the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup victory for India.
There were considerable chants of "Sanju, Sanju" from the fans, with jerseys bearing his name and number selling like hot cakes outside the stadium. Clips from the event showed Dhoni sharing laughs with former teammates, especially Raina, Rayudu, and Bravo, while Gaikwad was seen bowling to Hussey, who showed fluent strokes reminiscent of his younger days.
The current squad also held an open practice session, with players engaging in light drills and football kickabouts, before musical events, including by AR Rahman, took center stage.
Samson, Dube, and U19 World Cup-winning captain Ayush Mhatre were honoured by Dhoni with commemorative plaques, while fans wearing yellow jerseys got beautiful memories to cherish for a lifetime.
CSK will begin their 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30, followed by fixtures against Punjab Kings on April 3, Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 5, and Delhi Capitals on April 11.